A blogger from Whittlesey is speaking today (Thursday) at Europe’s largest medical technology conference about how her health problems have revolutionised colostomy and how she now has her life back.

Thaila Skye, 29, will tell medical professionals at the MedTech Forum, in Brussels, about how she was one of a number of customers whose feedback led to the world’s biggest colostomy bag maker Coloplast changing their design.

Crohn’s disease sufferer Thaila told how her stoma – a surgical opening that diverts bodily waste to a colostomy bag – pointed towards her skin rather than outwards. It would lead to painful leakages which would burn her skin.

After blogging about her problems, Danish medical devices manufacturer Coloplast, which has offices in Peterborough, got in contact to ask about the problems she was having.

Coloplast, which was working on an updated version of its colostomy bags, worked closely with Thaila to find a solution.

Thaila was part of a trial programme. Last month, after years of research, Coloplast launched its new SenSura Mio Convex which pushes stomas that are deep-seated away from the skin to avoid contact with fluids.

Thaila said: “I had so many complications after my surgery; it was awful. It took seven months for my midline incision to heal and the way my stoma healed pointing down meant that I was having several leaks a day, so my peristomal skin (around the stoma in her stomach) totally broke down. I was too scared to leave the house and it put my whole life on hold. When I heard that Coloplast were working on a new range of ostomy appliances, I couldn’t wait to try them.

“It was only through their convex ostomy appliances that I was able to get my life back - my skin improved, the leaks stopped and I was able to live life as a normal woman in her twenties should. The latest version, the SenSura Mio, is a total game-changer, and I love that it was based on the feedback from both nurses as well as people with stomas who actually use these appliances every day. I know this sort of innovation will help so many people the way it did for me.”

Rasmus Hannemann Møller, vice president of products and brands at Coloplast said: “Coloplast works very closely with its customers to create its products and it was really useful having Thaila along with a number of other customers on board to help us design what we think is our most comfortable product to date.

“By building flexlines – similar to what you know from the sole of a running shoe – into the convex shell, we’re introducing a solution that enables both flexibility and stability to reduce the risk of leakage for people with a stoma that sits in an inward area.”